D'Arce Choke

What it is

The D'Arce choke is an arm-in choke where your arm goes under the opponent's near armpit, across the front of their neck, and locks on your own biceps, so their head and one arm are trapped together. Their own shoulder closes one side of the neck and your arm closes the other. It comes from the front headlock, from turtle and from half guard when their head is low.

When to use it

• From the front headlock, when their near arm is reaching or posted and the armpit is open.
• On top of turtle or when passing half guard, when their head is down by your hip.
• When they shoot a takedown with their head low and an arm inside.

How to do it

1. With their head low, thread your arm under their near armpit and across the front of their neck.
2. Bring your hand out behind their head and grip your own biceps on the other arm.
3. Put your other hand behind their head or on their back, so the lock looks like an arm triangle.
4. Sprawl your hips back and walk toward their trapped arm side to tighten the angle, or drop to your side.
5. Squeeze slowly by closing your elbows together until they tap.

Key details

• Arm under the armpit first, then the neck. That is what makes it a D'Arce and not an anaconda.
• Deep is everything. Thread the arm until your biceps is on their neck before you lock.
• Squeeze with the elbows closing, not by pulling the head. Pulling the head is a neck crank.
• Train it slowly with partners and tap early when you are caught. A rushed D'Arce lands on the jaw and becomes a crank.

Common mistakes

• Mistake: locking the grip with the arm shallow. There is no choke, and they pull the head out.
• Mistake: finishing by wrenching the head. It is a neck crank, illegal at every belt and dangerous in training.
• Mistake: staying square in front of them. They drive into you and the lock comes apart.

What they will try

• They keep the near elbow tight to their knee so the arm cannot be threaded.
• They turn toward the trapped arm and sit to their back before the lock tightens.

Gi and no-gi

The D'Arce is a main no-gi choke and works the same in the gi, where the jacket can make the thread a little stickier.